I Want My MTV

by Marks, Craig; Tannenbaum, Rob

• ISBN13: 9780525952305
• ISBN10: 0525952306
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-10-27
• Publisher: E P Dutton

Summary

The first-ever history of MTV's first decade. In the beginning, nobody thought it would survive. Record labels were skeptical and cable operators were dismissive-perhaps rightfully so. MTV had an inventory of just one hundred clips, most by fringe British and Australian bands. The channel was available in only a few cities and towns. On the night the network launched, staffers celebrated at a bar in New Jersey because no Manhattan cable operator carried MTV. When MTV debuted in 1981, its slogan was "You'll never look at music the same way again." But MTV's influence went beyond music-it soon changed network and cable television, radio, sports, film, fashion, teen sexuality, and even politics. Highly respected music journalist Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum have assembled an unprecedented collection of stories from the early days of MTV, straight from the mouths of those who were part of the video revolution. I Want My MTVfocuses on the network's first decade with accounts from major artists including Madonna, The Police, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Bon Jovi, and Chuck D of Public Enemy; executives; VJs; famous fans; and others whose careers were shaped by MTV. Their words chronicle the music industry's last great era-a time of excess, innovation, and grandiosity.

Table of Contents

Introduction: "Ridicule Is Nothing to Be Scared Of"	p. 15
Pictures came and Broke Your Heart
"Video Killed the Radio Star" to "Thriller" 1981-1983
"It's the Greatest Thing in the World"	p. 25
First Glimpses of MTV
"I Didn't Know How to Plug in a Light"	p. 30
Music Videos (only they weren't called that) in the 1970s
"We Were Just Idiots in Hotel Rooms"	p. 38
John Lack, Bob Pittman, and the Creation of MTV
"What's a VJ?"	p. 55
How MTV Hired its Hosts (including a case of mistaken identity)
"A Total, Unmitigated Disaster"	p. 64
MTV Launches with the Buggles, Blotto, and Thirty Rod Stewart Videos
"Girls Sliding on Poles"	p. 70
The First Dirty Music Video
"A Hail Mary Pass"	p. 73
How $1 Saved MTV from Bankruptcy
"Midgets, Models, and Trannies"	p. 85
The First Visionaries and Victims of the Music-Video Era
"Pouting and Shoulder Pads"	p. 113
Effeminate British Bands Spread Weird Haircuts Across the U.S.
"Shut That Door!"	p. 131
Office Sex and Power Struggles at MTV
"They Figured Out a Whole New Persona"	p. 144
How Three Gnarly Old Dudes Became Unlikely Video Stars
"Girls Belong in Cages"	p. 149
Metal takes over the Airwaves
"That Racism Bullshit"	p. 165
MTV's Aor Format comes under Fire
"I'm Not Like Other Boys"	p. 173
Michael Jackson Saves A Struggling Network from Itself
I Play My Part and You Play Your Game
"Burning Up" to "Here I Go Again" 1983-1987
"The Two M's"	p. 189
Madonna Touches MTV for the Very First Time
"You Got Char-as-ma"	p. 197
Prince, Bruce, Billy Idol, and the Gods of 1984
"He's Got a Metal Plate in His Head"	p. 221
MTV and Van Halen Team Up to Nearly Kill A Super-Fan
"Wannabe Cecil B. DeMilles"	p. 225
Everything-Budgets, Ideas, Hair-Gets Bigger
"Why Don't I Just Take $50,000 and Light It on Fire?"	p. 240
The Backlash Against MTV
"Don't Be a Wanker All Your Life"	p. 245
"Do They Know It's Christmas?," "We are the World," and Live Aid
"A Whopping, Steaming Turd"	p. 250
The Worst Video Ever Made
"A Wedding Dress with Nothing Underneath It"	p. 256
Madonna Takes-and Pops Out of-the Cake at the First Video Music Awards
"No Cable Network Is Worth $500 Million"	p. 260
MTV Gets New Owners; The Founding Team Trashes A Hotel, then Heads for the Exit
"Gacked to the Tits"	p. 269
Twenty-Four Stories About Drugs
"They Diss the Beatles"	p. 273
Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys Smuggle Rap Onto MTV
"We Put Fincher on the Map"	p. 285
Rick Springfield, Christopher Cross, and the Humble Beginnings of a Genius
"There I Am, with My Rack"	p. 301
The Rise of the Superdivas, Male and Female
"The Legion of Decency"	p. 313
Censoring Videos, for Fun and Profit
"Hickory Dickory Dock, This Bitch Was . . ."	p. 320
Backstage at the Video Music Awards
"I'd Like to Thank My Cheekbones"	p. 331
Jon Bon Jovi and Tawny Kitaen take Hair Metal to the Top
Where Do We Go Now
"With or Without You" to "U Can't Touch This" 1987-1990
"The Island of Misfit Toys"	p. 353
120 Minutes and the Rising Up/Selling Out of Alternative Rock
"Martha Was Heartbroken"	p. 367
MTV Finds A New, Mouthier Squad of VJs
"A True Television Network"	p. 382
The New Boss Orders Up A Riotous Show that Forever Changes the Network	p. 382
"That's What Hype Can Do to You"	p. 396
Club MTV Launches the "Upskirt Shot" and a Pop Scandal
"The First Time I Smelled Freebase"	p. 404
MTV Parties Down at Spring Break
"I Brought Snowballs to the Desert"	p. 411
Sucking Up to MTV's Laddish New Power Broker
"People in the Hood Rushed to Get Cable"	p. 418
How Ted Demme Did, Didn't, Maybe Did, and Absolutely Did Create Yo! MTV Raps
"We've Always Loved Guns N'Roses"	p. 436
Chicks and a Snake, Headbangers Ball, and the Return of Hard Rock
"Those Harem Pants Came Out of Nowhere"	p. 451
Rap Busts A Move into the MTV Mainstream
"Ego-Fucking-Maniacs"	p. 464
Michael Bay, Cher, and All 9:08 of "November Rain"
"I Want to Have a Nickname"	p. 478
How MTV Helped Michael Jackson Elect Himself "The King of Pop"
Nothing Lasts Forever, and we both know Hearts can Change
"Justify My Love" to "Jeremy" 1990-1992
"Rhythm Nation"	p. 483
Superstars and One-Hit Wonders Stage A Dance-Off in Your Living Room
"Your Manager's an Asshole"	p. 498
Fistfights and Pyro Farts: War Breaks Out at the Moscow Peace Festival
"Kermit Unplugged"	p. 502
An Acoustic Music Show Morphs into a Worldwide Megabrand
"Silly, Superficial, and Wonderful"	p. 509
Cindy Crawford and Jon Stewart Bring Beauty and Laughs to MTV
"Tired of Cheap Sex Songs"	p. 514
R.E.M., U2, and Van Halen (!) Elevate the Art Form in the Nineties
"A Monkey Could Do It"	p. 520
Pauly Shore and the Third Generation of VJs
"A Pep Rally Gone Wrong"	p. 526
"Smells Like Teen Spirit," Grunge, and the Hair Metal Apocalypse
"You're No Better Than a Rabbit!"	p. 543
Fearless Twentysomethings Shape A Presidential Election
"Getting Out of the Music Business"	p. 550
This is the True Story ... of What Happened When the Real World ... Took Over MTV ... and Made Music Videos ... Obsolete
"Let's Get Crazy Tonight"	p. 555
Tears, Tequila, and Broken Glass: MTV VIPs Celebrate the First Decade
"Fat City"	p. 557
The Bubble Bursts on Music Videos' Golden Era
"You Have No Idea How I Miss It"	p. 564
Fans, Stars, Staff, and Detractors Reflect on the Video Age
Acknowledgments	p. 573
Cast of Characters	p. 575
Index	p. 595
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